The Effect Of A Hydrogel Bicarbonate Supplement On Running Performance, Lactate, And G.I. Distress Symptoms

Sodium Bicarbonate is a well-researched ergogenic aid for increased performance during high intensity exercise. However, a common side effect of gastrointestinal (GI) distress can eliminate any benefit of taking the supplement. A novel bicarbonate supplement that utilizes a carbohydrate hydrogel delivery system has been developed to decrease the incidence of GI side effects. PURPOSE: To substantiate and quantify this new bicarbonate delivery system’s ability to improve performance and reduce GI distress during high intensity exercise by comparing it to a control condition and a standard sodium bicarbonate tablet. METHODS: Six well-trained runners participated in the study (4 men, 2 women; mean age 23.2 ± 7.2 years; mean VO2max 57.8 ± 7.5 ml/kg/min; mean lactate threshold (LT) speed 8.9 ± 0.6 mph; mean lactate turn point speed 9.4 ± 0.7 mph). The first visit consisted of VO2max and LT tests. For each of the following visits, subjects completed a 1-mile treadmill time trial in a counterbalanced order: 1) a control (C) condition, 2) a 0.2 g·kg-1 body weight (BW) dose of sodium bicarbonate via vegetarian enteric coated sodium bicarbonate tablets (T), and 3) a 0.2 g·kg-1 BW dose of sodium bicarbonate via carbohydrate hydrogel delivery system (MB). Sodium bicarbonate supplements were taken 2 hours before exercise. Duration of the 1-mile time trial, and blood lactate concentration ([BL]) immediately after, 3 and 8 minutes after the 1-mile time trials were assessed, and GI symptoms immediately before and during testing were reported. One-way repeated-measures ANOVAs were used to compare conditions. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in mile time (C: 308.7 s, T: 310.5 s, MB: 308.8 s, p = 0.665) or peak lactate (C: 12.8 mmol/L, T: 14.4 mmol/L, MB: 13.7 mmol/L, p = 0.365). The percentage of participants who experienced symptoms was recorded for each condition (C: 20%, T: 40%, MB: 40%). CONCLUSION: From these results, it cannot be recommended to utilize hydrogel bicarbonate supplements over a standard tablet supplement for the 1-mile race distance, as there were no significant performance or GI distress differences.